“Dumb… can’t read… dyslexia… a cognitive mess.”
That is how Donald Trump described California Governor Gavin Newsom while mocking Newsom’s dyslexia on social media.
The relationship between dyslexia and intelligence is one of the most misunderstood topics in education.
The backlash was immediate.
Mocking dyslexia is ignorant.
But focusing only on the insult misses the deeper issue.
Trump’s comment exposed a national misunderstanding that has quietly harmed children for decades. Millions of Americans still believe dyslexia reflects intelligence.
It does not.
Dyslexia appears across the entire intelligence spectrum. Many successful entrepreneurs, engineers, and innovators are dyslexic.
If dyslexia really meant low intelligence, Silicon Valley would be out of business.
And until the country understands what dyslexia actually is, schools will continue identifying the problem without knowing how to solve it.
Because the real issue is not simply that some children struggle to read.
The real issue is that dyslexia is usually treated at the level of symptoms rather than the root causes inside the learning process itself.
Students are given accommodations.
They are taught strategies.
They learn ways to cope with the difficulty.
But very little attention is paid to the underlying learning systems that create the reading problem in the first place.
The deeper truth may be this:
America does not have a dyslexia problem. It has a dyslexia misunderstanding problem.
Dyslexia Has Nothing to Do With Intelligence
One of the most damaging myths about dyslexia is that it reflects low intelligence.
It does not.
According to the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia occurs across the full range of intellectual ability.
Children with average intelligence have it.
Children with high intelligence have it.
Some of the most capable and creative thinkers in the world are dyslexic.
Yet many bright children who struggle with reading begin to believe they are not smart.
Parents often see the truth long before schools do.
A child can be curious, verbal, and capable, yet fall further behind in reading every year.
This disconnect is one of the clearest signs that the issue is not intelligence.
It is something deeper.
Why Dyslexia Is Often Misunderstood
Dyslexia is commonly treated as a reading problem.
But reading is the result of multiple underlying learning processes working together.
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, reading depends on several underlying brain systems.
- auditory processing
- working memory
- processing speed
- symbol recognition
When these systems are not working efficiently, reading becomes difficult regardless of intelligence.
Most people never learn this.
Instead, dyslexia is simplified into labels and symptoms.
That misunderstanding shapes how schools respond.
Legislators Did Only Half the Job
In recent years, nearly every state has passed dyslexia screening laws.
California, under Gavin Newsom, has taken important steps to identify struggling readers earlier.
That is progress.
But identifying dyslexia is only half the job.
What happens after identification matters just as much.
Research shows that despite widespread dyslexia legislation, reading outcomes have not improved as much as expected: (READ) Nearly every state in the U.S. has dyslexia laws, but our research shows limited change for struggling readers.
Diagnosing dyslexia without addressing the underlying learning skills is like diagnosing pneumonia and sending the patient home with cough drops.
The label changes.
The problem does not.
Students receive accommodations such as:
- extra time
- audiobooks
- modified assignments
These supports can help students get through school.
But they do not resolve the underlying difficulty.
Until education policy focuses on root causes, many children will continue to struggle.
Why Dyslexia Intervention Often Fails
Parents eventually begin asking the same questions.
Why does dyslexia intervention fail?
Why do dyslexia programs not work for my child?
Why does phonics not help my child?
The answer is simple.
Many interventions focus on reading itself instead of the learning systems that make reading possible.
More phonics.
More repetition.
More tutoring.
But if the underlying skills remain weak, progress is limited.
It is like trying to run faster with a sprained ankle.
More effort does not solve the underlying limitation.
This is why many families experience:
- years of tutoring
- ongoing frustration
- only small improvements
Until the underlying learning skills improve, reading will continue to feel like swimming upstream.
The Root Cause of Reading Struggles
When a child struggles to read, the problem is often not motivation or intelligence.
It is inefficiency in the brain systems that support learning.
These systems can be strengthened.
When auditory processing improves, phonics begins to make sense.
When working memory improves, comprehension improves.
When processing speed improves, reading becomes more natural.
This is the difference between managing symptoms and addressing root causes.
To understand how these skills build on each other, we break it down visually in our Learning Skills Continuum:
Download the Learning Skills Continuum
You can also explore how these underlying learning skills affect reading in more detail:
How learning skills affect reading
And why traditional tutoring often does not solve reading problems:
Why tutoring doesn’t solve the problem
The Real Tragedy
Dyslexia itself is not the tragedy.
The tragedy is this.
Millions of bright children quietly conclude they are not smart.
Parents search for answers while the system offers limited solutions.
Mocking dyslexia is harmful.
But misunderstanding it is far worse.
Because misunderstanding it keeps children stuck.
And here is the part that surprises many parents.
Real solutions have existed for decades.
For more than forty years, research and clinical experience have shown that when the underlying learning skills improve, reading improves.
Yet many families are still told their child must learn to live with dyslexia.
Until that conversation changes, the real problem will remain hidden in classrooms across America.
FAQs About Dyslexia and Reading Struggles
Does dyslexia affect intelligence?
No. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. It affects how the brain processes language, not how smart a person is.
Why is my child smart but struggling to read?
This usually indicates weak underlying learning skills such as auditory processing or working memory, not a lack of intelligence.
Why do dyslexia programs sometimes fail?
Many programs focus on reading strategies instead of addressing root causes like processing skills.
Can dyslexia be corrected?
In many cases, improving the underlying learning skills can significantly improve reading ability.
Why does phonics not work for every child?
Phonics depends on accurate sound processing. If auditory processing is weak, phonics alone may not be effective.
What should I do if my child is struggling with reading?
Look beyond reading instruction alone. Understanding and improving the underlying learning skills is critical.
Recent Posts
Ready to take the next step?
Speak to a Learning Specialist to learn more about the results from students and parents at Stowell Learning Centers.